Frame and wire termination block assembly

ABSTRACT

A frame and wire termination block assembly is provided which enables a plurality of wire termination blocks mounted on the frame to independently assume various selected positions of tilted adjustment so as to facilitate connecting or disconnecting of various wire leads with respect to one or more blocks.

United States Patent- MacKenzie, Jr.

1 51 May 23, 1972 54] FRAME 'AND WIRE TERMINATION BLOCK ASSEMBLY 72Inventor: Joseph 11. MacKenzle, Jr., 431 Prairie Avenue, Wilmette, Ill.6009] 22 Filed: Jan.27, 1971 21 Appl. No.1 110,164

[52] US. Cl. ..339/l98 G, 21 l/l50 [51] Int. Cl ..H0lr9/00 [58] FieldofSearch ..339/98, 119, 120, l2l;2l 1/99,

[ 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,039,694 10/1932 Burton..21 1/150 2,908,397 10/1959 Patterson ..211/1sox FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS l,290,688 3/1969 Germany..... ..24s/242 693,660 8/1965ltaly .;.247/242 Primary Examiner-Joseph H. McGlynn AssistantExaminer-Robert A. Hafer Attorney-Pendleton. Neuman. Williams & Anderson[57] ABSTRACT A frame and wire termination block assembly is providedwhich enables a plurality of wire termination blocks mounted on theframe to independently assume various selected positions of tiltedadjustment so as to facilitate connecting or disconnecting of variouswire leads with respect to one or more blocks.

14 China, 5 Drawing Figures Patented May 23,- 1972 3,665,377

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.|

INVENTOR 28 JOSEPH H MAC KE/VZ/E JR BY m/z 441% Mm ATTORNEYS PatentedMay 23, 1972 3,665,377

2 Sheets-Sheet I;

INVENTOR 27a JOSEPH H. MAc KE/VZ/E JR.

BY 4%, $41M ATTORNEYS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The assembly inquestion is adapted for use in conjunction with equipment such as foundin telephone distribution centers or the like, wherein a large number ofsoundor electrical impulse transmission lines and cables are brought toa given location for interconnection with other transmission lines.l-leretofore various apparatus for effecting the necessaryinterconnection of lines and cables have been provided; however, becauseof certain design characteristics, such apparatus have been beset withone or more of the following shortcomings: (a) the apparatus was ofbulky construction, thereby requiring an inordinate amount of floorspace to accommodate same; (b) the wire termination block density for agiven frame was minimal because the blocks were fixedly secured to theframe, thereby necessitating greater clearance between adjacent blocksto provide the necessary access to the terminal posts carried on theblocks; (c) because of the fixed positions of the blocks, the wireconnecting and disconnecting operation wasa tedious manipulationrequiring the talents of one possessed of a high degree of dexterity;and (d) the installation of the prior apparatus required an excessiveamount of on site labor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Thus, it is an object of this invention toprovide an assembly which avoids the aforenoted shortcomings associatedwith prior apparatus of this general type.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a frame and wiretermination block assembly wherein the blocks thereof are mounted on theframe so as to form a multi-level module where each block thereof may betilted independently of the others and, thereby, greatly facilitate thewire connecting and disconnecting manipulation.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a frame andwire termination block assembly wherein the various components thereofmay be substantially preassembled in modular forms thereby minimizingthe amount of on site labor required during installation of theequipment.

Further and additional objects will appear from the descrip tion,accompanying drawings, and appended claims.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, an assembly of thetype described is provided which includes a support and an elongatedmember mounted on the support and angularly disposed with respectthereto. Mounted on and projecting from the elongated member is a pairof spaced brackets. Disposed between the brackets and adjustably mountedthereon is an elongated wire termination block which is adapted toassume selected-positions of tilted adjustment. Guide means for wire andcable are mounted on the elongated member and are disposed adjacent theblock.

DESCRIPTION For a more complete understanding of the invention,reference should be made to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. I is a fragmentary perspective front view of one form of theimproved assembly.

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1, but showing only a portion of the assemblywith various blocks thereof in selected positions of tilted adjustment.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary end view of the assembly of FIG. 2 andwith one of the blocks thereof in a tilted position and showing theaccessibility of the terminal posts of the tilted block with respect toa soldering tool or the like.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the connection between one endof a block and a bracket element; the component parts of the connectionare shown in exploded relatron.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2,one form of the improved assembly is shown which is adapted to be usedin conjunction with sophisticated communication and/or data processingequipment wherein large numbers of wires and cables are interconnected.One important requisite of such an assembly is that it be readilyaccessible so that the wire connecting and disconnecting manipulationscan be readily performed. The illustrated assembly 10 comprises a pairof uprightchannel-shaped supports 11 which may extend from floor toceiling. If desired, however, the supports 11 may be arranged so as toform a section, self-supporting frame having a base module X, restingupon a floor surface, a block module Y interfitting with and extendingupright from the base module X, and a top module 2 interfitting with andoverlying the block module Y. Each of the aforesaid modules may bepreassembled, thus, requiring only interfitting of the modules on site."

The supports are retained in spaced substantially parallel relation by aplurality of transversely extending cross members 12 which are affixedto the supports and are arranged in spaced substantially'parallelrelation. The number of members 12 utilized will depend upon the numberof wire termination blocks 13 required for the particular installation.

Each block 13 is preferably of like construction and is provided with anelongated rectangularly shaped center portion 14, an elongatedwing-shaped side edge piece 15 secured to the outer elongated edge ofthe center portion, and an elongated shield piece 16, see FIG. 5. All ofthe aforenoted components 14, 15 and 16 of the blocks 13 are preferablyextrusions. Furthermore, the shapes of pieces 15 and 16 may be variedfromthat shown and will depend upon the particular installation. Theblock components are described in detail in my copending applicationfiled concurrently herewith and entitled Wire Termination BlockConstruction."

The center portion 14 of each block 13 is provided with a plurality ofterminal posts or pins (e.g., 1,000) 17 which project from oppositesides of the center portion, see FIGS. 4 and 5. The posts may bearranged in 10 rows of posts each. It is preferred that the post on eachside of the center portion be inclined approximately 45 toward the outerpiece 15. The desirability of the post incline will be discussed morefully hereafter. 1

Mounted on and projecting outwardly from each member 12 is a pair ofbracket units 18, see FIGS. 4 and 5. A wire termination block 13 ispositioned between each pairof units and is adjustably supported therebyso that the block may be manually moved to various positions of tiltedadjustment, see FIG. 4. In addition to the tilted positions, the blockmay be moved to a horizontal position, which is the position it wouldnormally assume once the necessary connections to the posts 17 have beenmade.

Each bracket unit 18 in the illustrated embodiment includes an elongatedhorizontally extending arm 20, one end 200 of which is adapted to befixedly secured to the adjacent member 12. The outer or opposite end 20bof the arm is provided with a pair of horizontally spaced openings 21and 22. Opening 21 is adapted to receive a pivot pin 23, the leading end23a of which is adapted to be threaded into an opening 24 formed in theendface of block piece 16. Disposed between the endface of block piece16 and arm 20 is a washer 25 and a lock piece 26. Piece 26 is providedwith a semi-circular front portion 26a and a rearwardly projecting tab26b, the latter being provided with an opening 26c through which pin 23is adapted to extend. The rear edge of front portion 26a is offset so asto form a pair of flanges 26d. The flanges are adapted to engage thelaterally extending portions 16a and b of block pieces 16 so that thelock piece 26 and shield piece 16 will pivot as a unit about pin 23 asan axis.

Front portion 26a is provided with a plurality of arcuately spacedradiating slots or pockets I, II and Ill. Each slot is of likeconfiguration and isadapted to accommodate a springloaded detent 27,which in turn, is disposed within the opening 22 formed in the outerdistal end 20b of arm 20. The detent 27 may be of conventionalconstruction and includes a sleeve 270 which is fixedly secured to thearm, a coil spring 27b disposed within the inner open end of the sleeve,a plunger 27c provided with an annular shoulder27d slidably disposedwithin the open inner end of the sleeve, and an exposed button 27ehaving a shank portion 27f which slidably extends through an openingformed in theouter end of the sleeve. The inner end of the button shankis secured by any suitable means to the outer end of the plunger 27c.The opposite or inner end 273 of the plunger is shaped so that it willproperly fit within the selected one of the slots I, II, or Ill andthereby retain the block 13 in either of two tilted positions or in thehorizontal position, see FIG. 4. The outer end of the button 27e has anenlarged head 27h which is impassable with respect to the opening formedin the outer end of the sleeve 27a. To release the plunger end 273 froman interlocking position with respect to one of the slots I-lll, merelyrequires a manual outward pull on thebutton head 27h until the plungerend is free of the slot,

whereupon'the block can be pivoted about pin 23 as an axis.

The number of slots and the angular relationship of the slots may bevaried from that shown. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, slots Iand II are approximately 90 apart with slot ll bisecting such includedangle. When the block 13 is in tilted position A, see FIG. 4, theterminal posts 17 projecting from the upper surface of the centerportion 14 of the block are readily accessible for the wire connectingor disconnecting manipulation wherein a soldering tool T is normallyutilized. When the block is disposed in tilted position B, see FIG. 2,the underside of the block center portion 14 is readily accessible for asimilar manipulation. Once the necessary connecting and disconnectingmanipulations have been performed, the block is returned to its normalhorizontal position C. As aforementioned, the spring-loaded detent 27cooperates with a lock piece 26 to retain the block in the selectedposition of adjustment.

As seen in FIG. the shield piece 16 of the block is provided withaplurality of large openings 16c through which the various wires arecaused to pass. By utilizing the openings 16c the various wires may bereadily segregatedfthusfacilitating tracing of the wires, when required.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the blocks 13 are in vertical alignment andeach is spaced a substantial distance outwardly from the horizontalmember 12. Disposed within such spacings are a series of wire guides 28,there being a series of guides for each block. Each guide 28 of a seriesis preferably formed of rod stock which has been bent into either a J orC shape. The horizontal leg 28b has the inner end thereof affixed to thehorizontal member 12, except as to the end guides of the series, whichmay have the leg portions 285 thereof affixed to a portion of thebracket arm 20, see FIG. 5. The horizontal legs 28b of the guides of aseries coact with one another to serve as a support for wires or cableslaid thereupon. The offset leg 28a limits lateral movement of thesupported wire or cable and, thus, prevents a interference by the wiresand cables with the pivotal adjustment of the adjacent block. It isimportant that the wires connected to either the top or bottom terminalposts 17 of the block be provided with a sufficient stress relief loopwhen the block is in its normal non-tilted position, so thatsubsequently the block can be readily adjusted to various tiltedpositions without undue strain being imparted to the wires.

In addition to the guides 28, there may be provided a second series ofwire guides 30 which are spaced longitudinally along member 12 andproject therefrom in a direction opposite from brackets 18 and guides28, see FIG. 3. Each guide 30 of a series has a bail portion 300 spacedoutwardly from member 12.

Corresponding guides 30 of the second series are in vertical alignmentand, thus, enable certain of the wires and cables to be segregated fromone another while extending vertically from one block to another.

Besides the first and second series of guides, a third series ofguides'3l may be provided ,in which the guides thereof are spacedendwise of the blocks and are secured to either the members 12 or one ofboth of the supporters l1 and serve to guide the verticallyextendingwires or cables which extend from adjacent equipment.

While the illustrated assembly 10 is shown as having termination blocksdisposed on only one side of the members 12, it is to be understood, ofcourse, that the blocks may be disposed on opposite sides of the memberswithout departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, ifdesired, the supports ll may run in horizontal directions and besecured, respectively, to the floor and ceiling, in which case theadjustable blocks would extend vertically rather than horizontally, asshown. In either illustration, the adjustability of the block is thesame.

Because of the adjustability of the blocks, greater block density for agiven frame is possible because the spacing between adjacent blocks maybe reduced without interfering with the wire connecting anddisconnecting manipulations.-

The various parts of the assembly are of such design that they may besubstantially preassembled, thereby reducing on site" labor to a minimumduring initial installation of the apparatus.

I claim:

1. A frame and wire termination block assembly comprising a support, anelongated member mounted on said support and angularly disposed withrespect thereto; bracket means mounted on and projecting from saidmember; and an elongated wire termination block having electricalcontacts thereon, said block being adjustably mounted on said bracketmeans to assume selected positions of tilted adjustment.

2. The frame and wire termination block assembly of claim I, whereinsaid support includes a pair of elongated elements arranged in spacedrelation, and said elongated block substantially spans the distancebetween said elements.

3. The, frame and wire termination block assembly of claim 1, includinga plurality of elongated members mounted in spaced relation on saidsupport and angularly disposed with respect thereto; bracket means foreach of said members; and an elongated wire termination block for eachbracket means; the spacing between said elongated members permittingtilted adjustment of one block without interference by adjacent blocks.

4. The frame and wire termination block assembly of claim 3, whereinsaid elongated members are arranged in spaced substantially parallelrelation and tilting of each elongated block being about an axissubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said block.

5. The frame and wire termination assembly of claim 3, including firstwire guide means carried by said elongated members and disposed adjacentto said blocks.

6. The frame and wire termination assembly of claim 5, includingcomplemental second wire guide means carried by said support. I

7. The frame and wire tennination assembly of claim 6, wherein saidfirst wire guide means comprises a plurality of rodlike unitstransversely mounted on each of said elongated members and disposed inlongitudinally spaced relation thereon, the outer distal end of eachrodlike unit being angularly offset to form a wire stop.

8. The frame and wire termination assembly of claim 1, whereinsaidbracket means includes a pair of spaced bracket elements mounted onand projecting transversely from said elongated member, the outer distalend of each bracket element pivotally supporting an adjacent end of saidblock, and means cooperating with the distal end of at least one bracketelement and the adjacent end of said block for releasably retaining saidblock in selected positions of tilted adjustment.

9. The frame and wire termination block assembly of claim 8, wherein thecooperative means includes a spring biased detent carried by the outerdistal end of at least one bracket element; said detent releasably andselectively engaging one of a plurality of pockets arranged in arcuatelyspaced relation, said pockets being formed adjacent the end of saidblock; the relative positions of said pockets with respect to saiddetent corresponding to selected positions of tilted adjustment of saidblock.

10. The frame and wire termination block assembly of claim 9, whereinsaid block is adjustable through a tilt angle of approximately 1 l. Theframe and wire termination block assembly of claim 1, wherein saidbracketmeans projects from opposite sides of the elongated member and apair of elongated wire termination'blocks are disposed on opposite sidesof said elongated member, each block being adjustably mounted on aprojecting portion of said bracket means to assume selected positions oftilted adjustment independently of the other block.

12. The frame and wire termination block assembly of claim 11, includingfirst wire guide means disposed intermediate said elongated member andat least one of said blocks; said Patent No. 3,665,377 a ed May 23, 1972JOSEPH Ha MacKENZIE, JR.

Inventor(s) It is certified that error appears in the above-identifiedpatent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2, lines 8-9, "section" should be sectional Column 3 line 40,"spacings" should be spacing Column 3, line 45, after "shape." insertThe outer leg 28a of each guide is offset upwardly.

Column 3, line 73, after "one" delete "of" and substitute therefor orColumn 3, line 73, "supporters" should be supports Signed and sealedthis 5th day of September 1972 (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attest ing Officer Commissionerof Patents F (mm P040150 (10-09) USCOMM-OC GOING-N09 I UJ. oovlnmnnnum'mu OFFICl n" 0-star:

1. A frame and wire termination block assembly comprising a support, an elongated member mounted on said support and angularly disposed with respect thereto; bracket means mounted on and projecting from said member; and an elongated wire termination block having electrical contacts thereon, said block being adjustably mounted on said bracket means to assume selected positions of tilted adjustment.
 2. The frame and wire termination block assembly of claim 1, wherein said support includes a pair of elongated elements arranged in spaced relation, and said elongated block substantially spans the distance between said elements.
 3. The frame and wire termination block assembly of claim 1, including a plurality of elongated members mounted in spaced relation on said support and angularly disposed with respect thereto; bracket means for each of said members; and an elongated wire termination block for each bracket means; the spacing between said elongated members permitting tilted adjustment of one block without interference by adjacent blocks.
 4. The frame and wire termination block assembly of claim 3, wherein said elongated members are arranged in spaced substantially parallel relation and tilting of each elongated block being about an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said block.
 5. The frame and wire termination assembly of claim 3, including first wire guide means carried by said elongated membErs and disposed adjacent to said blocks.
 6. The frame and wire termination assembly of claim 5, including complemental second wire guide means carried by said support.
 7. The frame and wire termination assembly of claim 6, wherein said first wire guide means comprises a plurality of rodlike units transversely mounted on each of said elongated members and disposed in longitudinally spaced relation thereon, the outer distal end of each rodlike unit being angularly offset to form a wire stop.
 8. The frame and wire termination assembly of claim 1, wherein said bracket means includes a pair of spaced bracket elements mounted on and projecting transversely from said elongated member, the outer distal end of each bracket element pivotally supporting an adjacent end of said block, and means cooperating with the distal end of at least one bracket element and the adjacent end of said block for releasably retaining said block in selected positions of tilted adjustment.
 9. The frame and wire termination block assembly of claim 8, wherein the cooperative means includes a spring biased detent carried by the outer distal end of at least one bracket element; said detent releasably and selectively engaging one of a plurality of pockets arranged in arcuately spaced relation, said pockets being formed adjacent the end of said block; the relative positions of said pockets with respect to said detent corresponding to selected positions of tilted adjustment of said block.
 10. The frame and wire termination block assembly of claim 9, wherein said block is adjustable through a tilt angle of approximately 90* .
 11. The frame and wire termination block assembly of claim 1, wherein said bracket means projects from opposite sides of the elongated member and a pair of elongated wire termination blocks are disposed on opposite sides of said elongated member, each block being adjustably mounted on a projecting portion of said bracket means to assume selected positions of tilted adjustment independently of the other block.
 12. The frame and wire termination block assembly of claim 11, including first wire guide means disposed intermediate said elongated member and at least one of said blocks; said guide means being secured to said elongated member.
 13. The frame and wire termination block assembly of claim 12, including second wire guide means mounted on said support and angularly disposed relative to said first wire guide means.
 14. The frame and wire termination block assembly of claim 13, wherein said first guide means comprises a plurality of projecting rodlike units, each unit having a distal end angularly offset to form a stop. 